BlackBerry 10 Sees 15,000 Apps Submitted in 37.5 Hours

RIM held Port-a-Thon events to encourage developers to submit apps

BlackBerry 10

Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion has been long touting a large number of applications available for its upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system right from the start, but no specific numbers have been provided as of now.

However, following a series of Port-a-Thon events meant to encourage developers to submit their applications to the company’s official app portal, RIM has finally unveiled more on the number of applications that users will have at their disposal.

Apparently, no less than 15,000 applications were submitted for the platform in about 37.5 hours, which is quite an impressive number.

“Well there you have it. 37.5 hours in, we hit 15,000 apps for this portathon. Feel like I've run a marathon. Thanks to all the devs,” RIM’s Alec Saunders noted on Twitter.

The BlackBerry 10 Community Port-A-Thon kicked off on January 11, 2013, and was meant to run for 36 hours.

Developers who submitted their apps have the chance to win $100 per eligible app, as long as the software is approved for the BlackBerry World. RIM enabled developers to submit a maximum of 20 paid applications each.

Furthermore, RIM announced that it would also offer Dev Alpha devices to developers with more than 10 apps approved, along with paid trips to BlackBerry Jam Europe to the first ten qualifying participants.

“This is a virtual event so you can log in from the comfort of your home, from your desk at work or even get friends together and have a porting party. Wherever you happen to be join us; our experts will be there for the entire 36 hours to help you port or build your applications for BlackBerry 10,” RIM noted on its developer website.

BlackBerry 10 is set to be unveiled on January 30, while devices running under it will land on shelves around the world soon after. Both the platform and the smartphones will face fierce competition on the smartphone market, from rivals such as Android, iOS, and even Windows Phone.